Is this too many fish for a 29 gallon?

[VAnderson]

I'm still in the research phase and this is what I'm looking at
rummy nose tetras 12
mollies 5
guppies 7
kuhli loach 3
Bristlenose Plecos 1

I'm also open to any changes if you think a different pairing would work better. Thank you.

 

[Essjay]

How long is a 29 gallon? There are narrow tall tanks and short wide tanks with the same volume.

The main thing which stands out is that mollies must have hard water while all the other fish are soft water fish. Depending on your hardness, one or other won't do well.
Are you on mains water or a well? If it's mains water, look on your water provider's website for hardness - you need a number and the unit of measurement as there are several they could use. If it's a well, you could take a sample of your tap water to a fish store and ask them to test it for GH. Again, make sure they give you a number and the unit - and also take a note of whether they use strips or liquids to do the test (some strips don't measure high enough for hard water)
Once we know the hardness we can see which fish are suited. It is much easier to choose fish which like your water rather than alter the water to suit the fish, something not to be undertaken lightly.

 

[itiwhetu]

Rummy noses won't mix well with Mollies.

 

[VAnderson]

What would be a good replacement for the Mollies? Harlequin Rasboras maybe?

 

[Essjay]

Yes, they are soft water fish - assuming you have soft water.

 

[itiwhetu]

What would be a good replacement for the Mollies? Harlequin Rasboras maybe?

I love Black Phantom Tetras, they are hardy, fun to watch and breed readily.

 

[Slaphppy7]

How long is a 29 gallon? There are narrow tall tanks and short wide tanks with the same volume.

The main thing which stands out is that mollies must have hard water while all the other fish are soft water fish. Depending on your hardness, one or other won't do well.
Are you on mains water or a well? If it's mains water, look on your water provider's website for hardness - you need a number and the unit of measurement as there are several they could use. If it's a well, you could take a sample of your tap water to a fish store and ask them to test it for GH. Again, make sure they give you a number and the unit - and also take a note of whether they use strips or liquids to do the test (some strips don't measure high enough for hard water)
Once we know the hardness we can see which fish are suited. It is much easier to choose fish which like your water rather than alter the water to suit the fish, something not to be undertaken lightly.

Standard aquarium tank sizes and weights

Volumes in US Gallons and liters, dimensions in inches and centimeters, and estimated weights in pounds and kilograms, both empty and full with freshwater

www.aqua-calc.com

 

[Essjay]

Ah, so a bit smaller than my old 125 litre, in all dimensions as well as volume. 30.25 inches long x 12.5 inches wide.

rummy nose tetras 12 - the tank is slightly on the short side for these active swimming fish, but do-able if the water is soft
mollies 5 - needs hard water
guppies 7 - needs hard water though not as hard as mollies (I missed these out in my earlier post )
kuhli loach 3 - soft water but needs a bigger group. with 3 they'll be in hiding all the time.
Bristlenose Plecos 1 - OK if soft water.


The list falls into 2 groups:
hardwater mollies and guppies
soft water tetras, loaches and bristlenose.

If you have hard water, mollies and guppies are OK, perhaps one of the smaller rainbowfish as well.
Soft water - the tetras are fine. Kuhli loaches do best in large groups. When kept in small groups, you never see them while in larger numbers they do come out of hiding. I would have no less than 10. Perhaps another small tetra as well, again a biggish shoal.

 

[VAnderson]

Thanks! I might be moving soon so I don't know what my water will be in the new place. Also why I'm not buying right now.

 

[ClownLurch]

Thanks! I might be moving soon so I don't know what my water will be in the new place. Also why I'm not buying right now.

If your potential water suppliers websites have the facility to enter your ppotential postcode/zip code then you may be able to find out your new water numbers in advance.

 

[10 Tanks]

I'm still in the research phase and this is what I'm looking at
rummy nose tetras 12
mollies 5
guppies 7
kuhli loach 3
Bristlenose Plecos 1

I'm also open to any changes if you think a different pairing would work better. Thank you.

Hello VAnderson...

I don't really think you have too many fish. They're small and there's quite a lot of water. 29 gallons is a nice sized tank. I wouldn't add any other fish and make sure you feed just a little and keep the tank water clean by removing and replacing half every few days.

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